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When a new labor law is passed, lawsuits often fly thick and fast. In the case of Seattle's newly passed $15-an-hour minimum wage, the International Franchise Association is first out of the gate, filing its legal challenge today that the new law unfairly lumps franchise owners in with major corporations in terms of how quickly they must implement the higher wage.

But IFA has much more than a lawsuit planned as it seeks to protect the city's more than 600 local franchise owners from what franchise owners view as unfair discrimination. To supplement its legal action, IFA has launched Seattle for Franchise Fairness, an educational and advocacy website, in hopes of catalyzing a broader movement among business owners to amend or overturn the law.

Seattle's new $15-an-hour minimum wage law has drawn the ire of franchise business owners. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The site offers a link to a petition visitors can add their contacts to, opposing the minimum-wage law as currently worded. The petition notes that nearly 20,000 Seattle-area jobs might be affected if franchise owners have to pay more than local businesses.

Lest you think this "grassroots" movement is entirely a national organization's out-of-town job, several local franchise owners have already signed on to the lawsuit and campaign, including Seattle-based owners of multiple AlphaGraphics sign-making stores, senior-care franchise BrightStar Care, and hotel franchise owners with Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Inn.

Though the Seattle Times has opined that the law should be amended to treat franchise owners equally with other locally based small businesses, the city of Seattle has yet to respond to the suit.

The timing of the lawsuit filing has turned out to be a bit ironic. Also today, the city of Seattle announced it will receive a $28 million "New Markets" tax credit from the U.S. Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, to help the city boost business development in economically depressed urban neighborhoods.

Funnily enough, often many of the business owners with the courage to be first to open in new developments in grittier neighborhoods are franchisees. With a national organization's expertise in urban markets around the country, franchise owners often have the resources to enter these markets and succeed.

Seattle would do well to reconsider how its new law might discourage franchise growth in the city, if it would like its tax-credit funds to succeed in creating more vibrant retail activity and fighting urban blight.